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Copyright/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby Moby is typing at his computer. MOBY: Beep. Tim sits and reads a book. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Uhh, yeah? What's up? Moby is looking at his website, "The Moby Experience." He's downloading a new song, "Robots' World Domination." MOBY: Beep. TIM: Oh, great. You just put a new song on your audio blog. Just, I'm in the middle of this chapter, so… MOBY: Beep. TIM: Hmm? What now? Tim sighs and goes over to Moby. TIM: Oh, fine. Tim reads an e-mail letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, I'm really confused about what a copyright is and how it's used. Can you explain it? From, Caroline. Well, I can give you the basics, sure. Copyrights are legal protections given to authors of creative works. An image shows a copyright symbol. TIM: That's any kind of original work, like a piece of writing, a painting, or other intellectual or artistic creation. Images illustrate the types of original works that Tim describes. TIM: Your new song, hey, uh, what is it called again? MOBY: Beep. TIM: Right. "Robots' World Domination" is an example of a copyrighted work. That means Moby, as the creator of a song, has certain rights that can be enforced by a court of law. First off, only you have the rights to make copies of your song and to distribute them. But you can give other people permission to do that, too. An animation shows Moby's face with eight CDs around it. TIM: You also have the right to perform your work publicly, and in some cases you may have the right to control whether others can do the same. An image shows Moby playing the drums on stage in front of an audience. TIM: And you have the right to make derivative works. That means adaptations of your work, like a music video of your song. Moby sits in a director's chair at a studio. TIM: Lastly, you have the right to display your work publicly. So if you made a music video for "Robots' World Domination," you could show it on TV or the Internet. Moby's music video appears on MeTwoTube, a video website. TIM: In general, no one else can legally use, copy, or display any of these things without the creator's permission. Whether it's a song, a choreographed dance, a computer program, or a blueprint for a new building. Images illustrate the types of creations Tim lists. MOBY: Beep. TIM: That's right. Copyright was established to motivate people to be creative. In Article One, Section Eight of the U.S. Constitution, there's a clause that says: "The Congress shall have Power… to promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries." An image shows the U.S. Constitution, which begins with "We the people." An overlay shows the text Tim quotes. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, no, not everything is protected by copyright. For instance, you can't copyright ideas, concepts, or procedures. Copyright only protects the tangible expression of ideas. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Okay, let's say you have an idea for a book about how one day robots will rule the world. If you sit down and write the book, a form of tangible expression, your work would be copyrighted. Moby types at a typewriter. TIM: But the idea for a book about how one day robots will dominate the world cannot be copyrighted. Moby turns into a shadow. A lightbulb is shown inside his head, and then it is crossed out. TIM: Anyone can take the general idea, "robots will soon dominate the world," and write her own book or play or song or whatever. An image shows an author at a library autographing a book titled, "Robot Rule: A Look Ahead." MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, if someone illegally reproduces or uses a copyrighted work without the copyright holder's permission, it's called infringement. And if you infringe on someone else's copyright, you could be sued. That means you'd be taken to court, and a judge can order you to pay money to the copyright holder. An image shows people appearing in front of a judge. TIM: It's a really complicated and expensive process, so you probably want to stay away from that. But the law can be fuzzy about what constitutes infringement. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Yup. Owning a copyright to a work doesn't mean you have complete exclusive rights to use it. In some cases, it's perfectly legal for others to use or copy a work without your permission. This is known as fair use. An image shows two figures holding a copyright symbol. TIM: Fair use protects creative and First Amendment rights. It can enable copyrighted work to be repurposed and used in another work. Side-by-side images show a famous Magritte painting of a man in a suit with an apple in front of his face and Moby in a suit with an apple in front of his face. TIM: Whether or not something is a "fair use" depends on a number of factors, including how the copyright material will be used. Like, when copyrighted materials are used for educational purposes, commentary or criticism, or in news reporting, it may fall under fair use. Images show the Magritte painting used the three ways Tim describes. TIM: And parody, or making fun of a work, usually falls under fair use, too. An image shows BrainPOP's web page on surrealism. It uses the Moby art based on the Magritte painting. TIM: Another factor to consider is how much of a work you use. If you use only a small portion, it's more likely to be considered fair use. Again, though, there's no magic formula for figuring out fair use; it depends on each individual case. So, it's usually a good idea to ask the creator's permission before using a copyrighted work. But you should know that copyrights don't run forever. An image shows a copyright symbol crossed out. TIM: A copyright holder keeps the rights to her work for a limited amount of time; after that, it becomes part of the public domain. Once something has entered the public domain, anyone can copy it freely. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Oh, yeah. Stuff posted on the Internet is protected, too. Copyright covers texts, images, music, and videos on the web in the same way that it protects books, photographs, CDs, and DVDs. Images illustrate all of the copyrighted creative forms Tim lists on the web and elsewhere. TIM: Okay, I'm getting back to my book now; I'm dying to know what happens. Tim walks away to read his book. Moby downloads another song from his blog and listens to it through headphones. Category:BrainPOP Transcripts